Who invented skating on ice

He wanted to translate his ballet moves to the ice. So he headed to Europe—leaving his wife and two small children behind—in search of more liberal audiences.

Though it is unclear how he was received in England, records show he was appreciated by spectators in Sweden, Norway and Russia. To make his movements easier to achieve, Haines attached his skate blades directly to his boots.

Haines was creative, but he was also enterprising. At an performance attended by Emperor Franz Joseph I and other local luminaries, Haines showed off his dramatic new style of skating. He set up at least one skating school in Vienna, and his style of ice dancing became known as the Viennese—and later the International—style. For the first time, spurred on by Haines, people began to perform social dances on ice.

In Vienna, Haines befriended a pupil named Franz Bellazzi. Haines never got a chance to bring his popular ice dances back to the United States. In January some sources say , he died in Finland after supposedly contracting pneumonia while traveling from St. Petersburg to Stockholm by sled in a blizzard. Sporting Developments was developed in in Canada, although the first mechanically refrigerated ice rink, named the Glaciarium, was built in , at Chelsea, London, England, by John Gamgee.

The Dutch are also likely responsible for holding the first skating competitions, however, the first official speed skating events were not held until in Oslo, Norway. Speed skating made its Olympic debut at the winter games in In , John E.

Strauss, a blade maker from St. Paul, Minnesota, invented the first closed-toe blade made from one piece of steel, making skates lighter and stronger.

And, in , Frank Zamboni trademarked the ice resurfacing machine that bears his name. The largest, man-made outdoor ice rink is the Fujikyu Highland Promenade Rink in Japan, built in It boasts an ice area of , square feet, the equivalent of 3.

It is still in use today. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content.

Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Finland's geography meant an energy savings of up to 10 percent over the same journey done on foot, the researchers found. That meant individuals could cover a lot more ground in the waning winter light , Formenti said.

In contrast, skating in other areas offered a savings of just 1 percent. This means either a kilometer one-way journey, or a kilometer journey towards a destination and 10 kilometers to travel back home," he said. Ancient skaters looked nothing like NHL players or Olympic speed skaters, warned Formenti, who thinks that most ancient northern Europeans used wooden poles to push themselves, keeping their legs relatively straight.